Bleeding Sharingan
by Anguissette
Summary: [SasuNaru]Two years after Sasuke went to Orochimaru, his careful plans for revenge are abruptly disrupted when Kabuto brings a drunk and unconscious Naruto back to the base.
1. Chapter 1

He hated fate

AN: This story takes place during the gap, where Naruto went to train with Jiraiya and Sasuke is with Orochimaru. This is a yaoi story, so if that's not your cup of tea, turn back now.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Prologue

He hated fate. Twice in his life, his life was royally fucked up by that one little word, till he was left alone and stranded in the middle of nowhere, feeling blindly with his hands for an open path.

That was why he would rather choose to believe in his own strength than to put his trust in 'fate', 'destiny', 'hope' or whatever else people wanted to called it. It was a harsh lesson to learn, one that involved a younger version of his current self coming home to find what he thought was the perfect family, destroyed, the corpses that were his parents still oozing the viscous red fluid of life, while he stood gasping for breath, suffocated by the rich metallic smell of blood.

That was why he took his future into his own hands, to grasp the power that Orochimaru had sampled him with, because he knew it was there, because it was tangible… because what he had in Konoha… teammates, friends, and bonds… were just as empty and treacherous as fate.

After he severed his bonds and made it clear that his path had already branched off than that of Konoha, he knew that he was in control now, even if he was just Orochimaru's puppet. In his mind's eye, he had already seen the end of his path… and the prize that awaited for him there. All he wanted was to feel Itachi's blood flow through is fingers, just like how the blood of his parents flowed onto the tatami mats all those years ago, the blood that could never be cleaned away… Uchiha blood, his blood.

His plan was perfect. However, that was when fate decided to throw the second curved ball at him. He thought he had already learnt his lesson. But even with his genius, foresight, and planning, he was not prepared for the impact.

Heavy breathing was heard in the underground training room. It had been weeks since he last saw sunlight. There was no need to be exposed to the outside world, when he had everything that he needed already in the darkness.

Red eyes reflected the non-existent light like a cat in the complete darkness. The metallic shimmer vanished quickly as Sasuke closed his eyes, allowing his other senses to expand with the lack of vision. There was no need to use the sharingan against this opponent. He could feel the other shinobi's fear against his skin, and he relished the sensation like a natural predator.

He moved perfectly in the obscurity, with the slow grace of one who was accustomed to dominate and kill, all his hits connected where he wanted them to. His movement was too fast to follow even if there had been light. Grunts of pain was heard and the damp air was tainted with the smell of blood, the scent was so familiar to him now that he missed it when he had to leave his underground lair those few rare times.

"Please, I beg of you. Let me live!"

"You are weak, worthless." His pale face was as smooth as always, but his voice was cold with disgust. A powerful hand lashed out and pinned his prey by the neck, against the concrete wall.

The katana sang its shrill song as it was release from its confines. The cold blue metal of the blade glowed in the darkness as it was swung in a graceful arc.

Sasuke stood frozen and let the blood cool on his face. It still shocked him how hot life could feel sometimes, especially when his life had came to a deep freeze the day he found Itachi standing over their parents with his katana, stained by life's blood. It burned away at his pale emotionless face, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

"That's the sixth one this week, Sasuke-kun." A spark in the darkness, and a single candle lit up, the warm light quickly swallowed by the shadows. "At the rate you're going, we won't have any prisoners or Sound shinobi left. The one that you just killed was supposed to participate in my experiment; I thought I asked you to leave that one alone." Kabuto said with more than a hint of annoyance. He had especially picked out the now dead shinobi because of his superior self healing powers. It had taken him six weeks to find a shinobi with that special feature. All that hard work and time, destroyed by Sasuke's selfishness.

"You did."

"Then why did you kill him?"

"I wanted to see what you would do," a superior smirk was directed at him.

Kabuto clenched his fists tightly to prevent himself from punching the arrogant face in front of him. Just a little longer. He told himself. It had been two years since Orochimaru's last body transfer. According to his last check up on the Sannin, Orochimaru must transfer into Sasuke's body in another six months.

Yes, he could wait. It was a game that Sasuke could not win.

"Go clean up fast. Orochimaru-sama wants to see you."

"What does he want this time? He hasn't taught me any new jutsu in months," the dark haired youth wiped off the blood on his katana on the clothes of his fallen prey, before sheathing his weapon lovingly in the scabbard.

Kabuto smiled mysteriously, and used his finger to push up his glasses. "It seems like the guards on patrol brought back something interesting."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"On the contrary Sasuke-kun, I believe it has everything to do with you," The silver haired man held out his hand. There, dangling between the two men, a pure green crystal shimmered in the low light. "You do recognize this necklace, don't you?"

The younger man made no movement to take the jewel from him. "Naruto," He breathed out the single word, slowly, testing the name on his tongue. A name he had banished from his mind because of the destructive power it held over him every time he allowed himself to picture his old teammate.

This time, it was Kabuto's turn to grin slyly as he watched Sasuke inhale deeply and closed his eyes. Wasn't this interesting. Even after two years at Sound, it seemed like the Uchiha still hadn't cut his bonds with Konoha yet.

The dark eyes finally opened, after seconds that felt like hours. Instead of the empty black iris, it was the bloody sharingan that stared back at Kabuto's own slightly surprised eyes.

Kabuto doubled up in pain as all the air was forced out of his lungs from the sudden assault. When? But he was already alone in the training room, on his knees, arms crossed protectively over his stomach, his hands strangely empty of the necklace he used to taunt the Uchiha just moments ago.

It was already dusk when he emerged from the underground base. The last rays of the setting sun painted everything in red. This current base was close to a tourist town. During those rare times that he left the base to get away from Orochimaru and Kabuto, he had discovered a small lake, hidden by cliffs on side and the dense forest on the other.

It was to this small sanctuary that he was headed, to rid himself of the blood of his victim, and to think about the new information that Kabuto came back with.

Naruto…

So he was still alive. The crystal from the necklace dug into the flesh of his hand as he formed tight fist around it. Apart of him knew that his teammate was too stubborn to die. Any ordinary shinobi would have given up already after a chidori through the chest. Somewhere deep inside, he breathed a small sigh of relief. For the past two years, even though he would never have admitted it, he did feel guilty and ashamed of what he did to Naruto. Now, he felt as if a small part of the weight lifted a little. Although, what was the dobe doing in this part of country?

Without shame, he loosened the obi that held his clothes together. The only live beings who watched him were the wild animals. The dark blue hakama and blood stained white gi caressed his pale body briefly as they fell to pool at his feet. They would be burned later. He did not like to wear clothes that reminded him of the people he killed.

The water was cool, but so clear that he could see the sandy bottom and the little fishes that swam between the blades of water plants. With a sigh, he let his tense body slid down and submerges under the surface. The coldness felt good and calm around his body, erasing any evidence of violence earlier. The gentle waves of the lake massaged his tired muscles.

Sasuke pushed his wet black hair away from his eyes and let his head rest against a smooth rock, his eyes closed against the last light of the sun, seeing a haze of red behind his eyelids. He thought back to what Kabuto said. Yes, it was true that he became more aggressive than before. He never actually took the lives of the prisoners kept for his practice. But the time was getting closer. They all knew it, felt it. The air was alive with the tension and anticipation of the soon to come body transfer. Soon, he would be able to take the first step towards his ultimate goal. There was nothing left for Orochimaru to teach him. From now on, he would only have his own strength to depend on.

"Sasuke-kun."

Sharingan spun out of control at the sound of the voice.

"Orochimaru," he said tonelessly. It didn't surprise him that Orochimaru knew of this place. The Sannin had him under tight surveillance ever since he first defected to Sound. Most of the time when he wasn't with Orochimaru, Kabuto would be the one to trail him on his aimless walks.

"I guess Kabuto failed to give you my message then."

"I got the message, but I just wanted to wash up after training," he made up the excuse, even though he could careless about what Orochimaru would do. Before the time came, he still had to make a pretense of normality. "I was going to see you after I finished here."

"No need," was that a hint of amusement in Orochimaru's voice? "I wanted you to see something interesting. It doesn't matter if you come to me, or I bring it to you." With that, he separated from the shadows of the forest.

"I hope that you don't mind if we join you."

We... Sasuke hid his shock well, and moved away to give the older man room as Orochimaru stepped into the water, fully clothed. The sharingan did not disappear, but widened slightly at body the Sannin carried carefully in his arms. The older man leaned back in the water, and moved the boy he held in his arms so that he was sitting sideways on his lap, resting comfortably against his own body.

The wild golden spikes were just as shiny as he remembered. He did not need to touch the hair to know that it was still as soft and silky too. Sasuke moved his gaze down to the face that was resting against Orochimaru's chest. Welling unconsciously for the eyes to open, so that he could compare the hidden color to the color he had engraved in his memory.

"I see that you still remember Naruto-kun, Sasuke."

"How can I forget the usuratonkatchi?" Sasuke answered dully. He only put a hole through the other boy's chest, he held back the wince. "I see that he's still haven't changed much if he allowed himself to be caught this easily."

He tried to force his gaze away as one of Orochimaru's hands cradled Naruto's head carefully, and leaned the boy down until only his nose wasn't submerged under the water. Gentle hands combed through the floating golden locks, loosening all the tangles and letting the water play around the soft hair. When the blond boy shivered from the cold, the same hands lifted his face from beneath the cold water and gathered him close to the older man's body again.

Sasuke clutched his fists as he watched his ex-teammate move closer to the source of warmth. Sighing contently as he rubbed his cheek against the flat muscular chest of the older man.

"We didn't catch him, Sasuke-kun," pale yellow eyes smirked back at him, taunting the enraged boy. Hands gently brushed the wet yellow hair away from the sleeping face against his chest. "Our patrol team found him asleep in the forest and brought him back."

"And he didn't struggle at all?" If he knew the blond at all, he wouldn't go down without a fight.

"He was passed out from sake when the team found him, but he's under a sleep jutsu right now."

Ah, he caught the unmistaken smell of alcohol now. How could he have missed it? Looked like Naruto hadn't changed at all; only an idiot would get himself drunk and pass out in unknown territory.

"What are you going to do to him?" He narrowed his eyes in warning as Orochimaru's hands traveled down Naruto's face, and rested on the zipper of his hideous black and orange jacket. Deliberately, the slender fingers grasped the zipper, and pulled it down agonizingly slowly, inch by inch, revealing a smooth toned chest covered by teasing black mesh. A quick tug and the open jacket was off, carried away by the ripples in the water. Now the hands were busy pushing up the transparent mesh, a little more difficult this time, because of the thin material that clung tightly to the wet creamy skin.

Sasuke unconsciously licked his lips as he feasted his eyes. A taunt stomach was revealed to him, the abdominal muscles were not as defined as his own, but it was hard and flat from training. The smooth skin was the color of light café latte, just begging to be licked and tasted by a connoisseur. With one last jerk, the flimsy peace of clothing released its owner, and left him to the two pairs of hungry eyes.

His breath caught in his throat as his eyes followed Orochimaru's hand that traced a trail from the hallow of Naruto's neck gently down, brushing carelessly against pink nipples, drawing circles around the buds, but never fully touching them, just teasing… and down pass the belly button, a finger dipped in slightly and caressed the soft skin that Sasuke so wanted to feel for himself… and down further until it rested against the elastic of the orange pants…

"He has grown into quite a beauty," cruel yellow eyes held his own, as Orochimaru tipped back the blond head, and licked the path from the base of the tanned throat to the edge of one delicate ear. "De…li…cious."

His eyes bled red, as a soft moan escaped the lusciously red lips. Even asleep, the blonde was sensitive to the onslaught of advances. So much had changed about that familiar face, yet it was still uniquely and distinctively Naruto. He longed to reach out to feel the whisker marks on those smooth cheeks. Naruto had lost his baby fat, yet his cheeks still maintained a rounded contour even though it was leaner, giving him a more effeminate look combined with the small straight nose, and pouty lips. He knew that if Naruto's eyes were open, they would still be large crystal blue… but would they still be as innocent and forgiving as he remembered?

"It has been such a long time since I had such a beautiful toy to play with," Orochimaru's voice broke him from his observation. Yellow eyes stared into blood red ones in challenge and the Sannin lowered his head to suck deeply on Naruto's neck, earning a shiver of pleasure from the slender boy. "I think I'll keep him with us. I'm sure it will be a very pleasurable experience for all of us..."

TBC

AN: Thanks for reading everyone. I'm sorry I painted such a bleak picture of Sasuke… I got depressed thinking how exams are just around the corner. And yes, there will be some slight OroNaru parts, don't kill me please ;


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing that he noticed

AN: Sorry everyone for the delay, I had to study for exams  But since everything is done now, hopefully I'll have more time to update

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Chapter 1

It wasn't the pounding headache that woke him, even though the pain from that alone was enough for him to wish that he was dead. Instead, it was the feeling of something dry and cold, slithering across his naked chest that finally shook him away from his blissful, dreamless rest. Blue eyes were slowly revealed as he blinked against the low candle light.

Wait… naked?!

The young man shot up, at least he tried to when a firm hand pushed him back down into the softest bed he had ever slept in. Another hand pushed his arms up and tightly pinned his hands together by the pillow. Still too tired and weak from the alcohol and the sleep jutsu, he couldn't do anything except a few half hearted attempts to shake off the heavy weight on top of him.

Where was he? The last thing he remembered was walking back from the sake shop… but what was he doing there anyways? He was underage, and he hated the taste of alcohol to begin with. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, until he realized that any movement involving his head was a bad idea, it only amplified the pain in his head.

"Finally decided to join the land of living?" A deep male voice chuckled above him. "I wouldn't move if I were you. Even though Aoi is rather small, a small drop of his venom is enough to kill five elephants."

The snake hissed in agreement, and the weak struggles for freedom immediately halted. Shivers crept down his naked spin at the feeling of the scaly reptile slithering across his shoulder, until it coiled itself contently around one deceiving fragile wrist, like a breathing bracelet.

The startling sapphire eyes looked up at his captor, the pupils that were dilated from rest slowly constricted in fear. He couldn't stop the shivers again, only this time it was from a cold wave of fear. His heartbeat slowly sped up, till it was so fast and loud that he could almost hear it himself, pounding away at his ribcage. The yellow eyes staring at him held nothing but cold hunger, and he did not like the way the older man was licking his lips with that unnaturally long tongue. He couldn't move even if he wanted to, as the man lowered his head, the tongue only millimeters away from his exposed flesh. He had to do something, to stop this.

"Who are you?"

Orochimaru froze above the beautifully tanned chest, as he regarded the confused boy in surprise. "You do not remember me, Naruto-kun?" He asked cautiously. Even though he knew that someone like the Kyuubi container was too innocent and stupid to devise and enact such a plan, it did not hurt to be cautious. After all, he did not put it past Jiraiya, or even Tsunade to trick him like this.

"Naruto…" a pink tongue shyly wetted dry lips, the effects of the sleep jutsu combined with the shot of morphine dampened what should had been a fearful outburst into mild surprise. "Is that my name?" It sounded familiar alright, but for all he knew, it could be the name of his pet cat or something.

"Well, well, well. This is certainly not what I was expecting," Orochimaru said as he released the hands he pinned down. He turned around as he adjusted his yukata so that it covered his own exposed chest, wanting to see if the young man would take the chance and do anything while he had his back turned. However, he only heard the gliding sound of naked skin against the thick silk as Naruto stretched his tense muscles, he made a sound almost like a purr as some of the stress disappeared with the stretch.

"What do you remember, Naruto-kun?" The Sannin watched in amusement as the boy stretched like a cat, the muscles quivered as his back stretched into an elegant arch, his tanned skin glowed beautifully against the black satin of sheets. It was strange how the blond boy did not seem bothered by his apparent amnesia.

Now that the man was no longer invading his personal space, he was able to breathe a little easier and think a little clearer. Golden brows scrunched together in thought. "I don't know, it hurts when I think," the blond boy practically whined, Naruto closed his eyes and rubbed his face into the silk pillow, and as if to save him, his stomach growled loudly. "Is there anything to eat around here?"

Orochimaru trailed a hand experimentally along the silken cheek, earning a purr in return. Whatever fears the blond felt earlier disappeared as the desire for more rest and food took over. "I see, I will have someone take you for some food then."

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru called out calmly, knowing the Uchiha had been waiting outside for the past two hours. It must had been torture for the young prodigy to wait so long before he could finally have Naruto alone. Orochimaru almost grinned when the door to his bedroom door was slammed open without ceremony. It had been a long time since Sasuke was this eager to see him.

"You called?" Immediately, the black eyes focused on the half naked form on the bed, they did not miss how Orochimau's own yukata was loosely tied around the waist, his chest generously exposed, a chest that was as toned and smooth as that of Sasuke's own, all thanks to the body switching jutsu, and the poor shinobi who became the sacrifice.

"I'm going to take a bath," as he walked past the younger man, Orochimaru paused, and put his hand against Sasuke's throat, caressing his future container lovingly. "I want you to take Naruto-kun for some food. After that, bring him to Kabuto, I want a complete check up on him… Naruto-kun seems to have lost his memories." His hand dropped away. "Oh and Sasuke-kun, please make sure that nothing happens to Naruto-kun, I will be counting on you to look after him here." The Sanin finished with a quiet chuckle, closing the door gently behind, in contrast with Sasuke's own previous outburst.

For what seemed to be an eternity, he did nothing but stood there, in the middle of the spacious room. His eyes feasted on the figure that was still sprawled across the black silk of Orochimaru's bed. His hands tightened into fists by his sides, his blunt nails bit into the flesh of his palm. Just looking at the naked skin made his blood boil, as unwanted images of what might have transpired between his ex-teammate and his current master sneaked into his mind traitorously.

His anger made him cross the floor in just a few steps. For a couple of seconds, as he stood above Naruto, his eyes carefully took in the soft messy strands of gold that was splashed brightly across the black pillows, the soft fluttering eyelids that hid eyes as blue as the sky, the small straight nose, the round pink cheeks, the smooth warm skin that stretched over the taunt slender muscles, the rosy peaks of the nipples, the faint definition of the abdominal muscles that spoke of endless shinobi training. His eyes quickly moved back up and focused on the pink, luscious lips before his thoughts could turn down another path.

His fingers tangled with the sudden desire to drive his katana through the softly moving chest. His heart sped up with the unfamiliar feeling of betrayal with the idea of the blond idiot in Orochimaru's bed. "Hey, usuratonkachi, wake up." Instead of taking out his beloved katana, his hid behind the familiar wall of insults and indifference. He bent a knee onto the bed to shake the body, not wanting to feel the texture of the tanned skin with his own bare hands.

"Who the hell are you calling usuratonkachi, teme?!" Memory loss or not, reflex was something that could not be erased, as Naruto sprung up, totally awake after the rude remark. "Who are you anyways?" He asked as he regarded the new stranger.

The words in Sasuke's mouth dried up as the black sheets that Orochimaru used to cover the lower part of Naruto's body slid down. In his anger, the blond did not seem to have notice that he was totally exposed. Sasuke quickly turned around as he felt his heart sped up at the quick little peek. Why was he so worked up at seeing another person? It wasn't like he never saw a naked male before. And he had seen Naruto's body before; they often bathed together with Kakashi on missions… Yes, but that was many years ago, his mind supplied wicked. And now, both of you have grown, in more ways than one….

"Hey, I asked you a question," the blond pouted cutely, annoyed that he was being ignored. He didn't even noticed how he was exposed in all of his naked glory.

"Hurry up if you still want to eat. I don't care what Orochimaru wants, I don't have all day to wait for you," Sasuke answered tonelessly as he walked towards the door, he congratulated himself for keeping his voice normal.

"Fine, fine, you anti-social bastard," Naruto complained as he swung his legs over. An indigenous shriek erupted from his mouth as he finally noticed how he was completely naked for the past couple of minutes. Who the hell undressed him? Was he naked for the whole time he was asleep?! He did a mental checklist of his body. His was not sore anywhere (that was a good sign, right?), the only thing that was bothering him was the splitting headache and his lost pride. Gathering the black silk sheet around his waist, as if gathering the tattered pieces of his pride, he tied as a make shift cover.

Naruto stood up quickly, and instantly regretted his hasty action when his world began to spin around him. Firm hands grabbed his upper arms just in time before his legs gave below him. He cursed under his breath at his own helplessness. He tugged tried to tug his arms out of the strong grasp that kept him upright. His stubbornness refused any kind of help from the one who called him a 'usuratonkachi.' Unfortunately, his feet decided at that moment to get tangled in the long sheet that he dragged off from the bed.

Sasuke smirked as he watched Naruto fall backwards, his ex teammate gave him a look of disbelieve as the dark haired boy made no move to prevent his fall.

He knew it, the other boy was not only an asshole, he was a cold hearted bastard as well, Naruto thought to himself as he prepared for the impact his head was about to make with the bed post…which never came.

At the last possible second, just as the golden hair was about to brush the sharp wooden corner, Sasuke jerked the half naked boy forward, the momentum slammed Naruto's cheek against the skin exposed by Sasuke's gi. Both young men froze at the skin on skin contact, their minds suddenly blank expect for the sensation of the other's warmth.

Sasuke could have stayed in that position forever. Ever since he joined Orochimaru, he had been isolated from any physical contact, except for those required medical checkups he went through every month, to ensure that the Sanin's future body was in perfect condition. The unexpected touch was the first attack against the thick wall of defense that had formed since his deflection.

It was Naruto who pulled away first, his cheeks burned were it was in contact with the pale perfection of the other boy's chest. It felt as if every single nerve in his body concentrated itself at that small area, the embarrassment of the awkward but strangely pleasant accident left him slightly breathless, and suddenly too shy to look up into the black eyes that were staring at him with all its heated intensity. "Sorry." He murmured quietly.

"Here, put this on," the Uchiha genius said gruffly as he picked up the spare yukata that was left on the bed, no doubt by Orochimaru. He watched with hidden fascination at this new shyness. The Naruto from his memory was always loud and obnoxious, always over confident about his own abilities, but never this quiet and timid... He did not turn around as the blond pull away this time (mindful of his footing), and took the offered garment. He had to admit, that it was amusing to see Naruto blushing and fidgeting under his eyes.

The yukata was made of heavy silk. The design was a simple one of pale pink sakura against a dark blue background, a rather feminine theme. It looked very innocent, however as the blond boy wrapped it around his body, he discovered quickly that the yukata dropped down at the back, leaving a great deal of his neck and shoulders uncovered. A silvery obi tied the yukata around in the middle, but unlike the normal male yukata, this one was just cut above the knees, with slits at both sides, leaving Sasuke with glimpses the well toned thighs. There was no doubt in his mind why Orochimaru chose this piece of clothing for Naruto.

"Are you sure this is it?" The blue eyed boy asked as he smoothed the material over his backside. "Aren't there pants or something that comes with this?" Needless to say, he felt extremely exposed, he could feel the air perfectly down there, and it was not a breeze that he enjoyed feeling.

"If you're talking about this…" Sasuke picked up a small triangular piece of silk with his finger tip, dangling the indecent piece of underwear in front of Naruto's bright red face. The blond looked like the color of Sakura's dress right now.

"What the hell are you trying to say, teme?!" Naruto screeched out. Pointing an accusing finger at the black haired boy.

"I was not the one who prepared the outfit," Sasuke shrugged. "If you don't want to wear it, feel free to go commando, no one is stopping you." Throwing the panties towards Naruto, it hit the blond in the face, and he did not stay this time to see whether the blond put it on or not. He walked out the door and closed it. Even he would give the dobe some privacy to collect whatever was left of his male ego…

A couple of minutes later, the door was pushed open, and from the way the blond was walking so slowly and awkwardly, it left no doubt in Sasuke's mind that the younger boy was indeed wearing the silken underwear.

Naruto resisted the urge to reach under the yukata and pull off the offending underwear, it was so small and constricting, but the thought of walking around naked under the yukata the idea did not sit with him well, especially if that Orochimaru guy was around. He looked up to see pure black eyes scrutinizing him closely. "Hey teme, I don't even know you're name."

The black eyes narrowed into slits. "Stop playing around Naruto, you know who I am." He pushed himself off the wall and walked down the dark hallway. Even with the occasional torch on the wall, his eyes were so used to the darkness that he could see perfectly. The same couldn't be said for Naruto, who being a child of the sun despised the darkness. The blond hurried to catch up to the raven, and Sasuke smirked as he felt a soft hand grab the back of his gi, using him as a guide in the dark.

"You're such a bastard," Naruto murmured softly in the dark, the shadows were scary and the silk was doing nothing to protect him against dampness. His stomach growled again, the sound so loud that it practically echoed in the narrow hallway. "Where are we going? I'm so hungry."

"I'm taking you to the kitchen right now, and don't you even ask if there's ramen," Sasuke said quickly before the blond could even open his mouth.

"Ramen? Why would I ask for that?" Naruto scrunched up his nose. "Did I use to like that?"

"Damn it Naruto!" The cloth in his hand was yanked away, as Naruto suddenly found himself shoved against the wall. The air disappeared in his lungs as the eyes that looked down at him were no longer black, but blood red. His heart jerked at the present position he was trapped in. "Orochimaru isn't here, so drop your act." The raven leaned closer, brushing his cheek purposefully against the whisker scars as he breathed against a sensitive ear. A part of him registered the shiver that traveled down Naruto's body at the feeling of his warm breath.

"I know the reason why you came here, I can see right through your little game," Sasuke whispered, his lips brushing the sensitive outer shell. "I don't think I need to remind you again of my answer, but if you keep on insisting on being stupid, then…"

He never even saw it coming until it was too late. The next thing he knew, blood was already dripping down is cheek. Fear built up in his chest until he could no longer contain it anymore. A blood curdling scream shook the very foundation of the underground base, as Naruto shoved Sasuke away from his body and ran away blindly, tears of panic and fear leading his instincts.

Sasuke stood there staring after the disappearing blond in shock. He did not anticipate such a reaction from Naruto. His sharingan disappeared, and he reached out to remove the kunai that was deeply embedded in the wall. All he wanted to do was to force Naruto into use his shinobi skills when he flung the weapon at the blond. The Naruto he knew would have caught the weapon easily and would have used it to attack him back, but this Naruto did not even see him throw the kunai until it was too late and he was already cut.

Just what in the seven hells was going on? Did Naruto really lose his memories? Now, even he was not sure anymore.

Oh great, he was lost. Naruto used a hand to support himself as he bent down and panted. His entire body still shook with unexplained terror as he remembered the blood red eyes the black haired boy stared at him with. He did not even know why he was afraid; Sasuke seemed nice enough before, but his body and heart reacted even before he could think.

Blue eyes looked around, but all the walls looked exactly the same, and in his haste to get away, he forgot all the turns that he made, whatever this place was, it was designed like a labyrinth, to confuse and trap anyone who stumbled in by mistake.

"Naruto-kun?"

He yelped as a light hand landed on his shoulder. Fearing the worst, he jerked around, grabbed the hand and bit into it, hard.

Too surprised by the reaction, Kabuto just stood there, letting the Kyuubi container sink his sharp canines into his flesh. Orochimaru-sama came by earlier to ask him to keep an eye on Sasuke and Naruto. He was about to look for the two when he heard Naruto's scream.

Finally realizing that the person who spoke to him was actually not Sasuke, Naruto dropped the hand in his mouth and jumped back. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I thought it was the bastard with the freaky red eyes."

"Did you mean Sasuke-kun?" the older nin pushed his glasses up.

"Yeah, he said I knew him, and that he knew what I was here for," tears began to swell up again the wide innocent blue eyes. He didn't even realize that he was blabbing everything to another stranger. "I really can't remember who he is, and when I told him, he wouldn't believe me… and… and…"

"It's okay, Naruto-kun, you can tell me," Kabuto answered, wasn't this getting interesting.

"And… he attacked me!" Naruto finished as the tears finally dripped down his cheeks. "He threw a knife at me, and it cut my face."

"Ah," a gentle finger brushed away the tanned hand that was wiping away the tears. "That was rather mean of Sasuke-kun. I will let Orochimaru-sama know, and we will have Sasuke-kun punished for sure." How fascinating… the eyes behind the glasses widened as the cut on Naruto's face healed right under his fingertips. This must be the power of the Kyuubi. He remember the last time he fought against Naruto, the blond was still able to move with a broken hip and cut quadriceps… and after his heart muscles were shredded by his chakra scalpel, he still managed to survive… very intriguing indeed…

"Kabuto, get your hands off of him," the cold voice said dripping with venom as a person walked out of the shadows. It wasn't hard for Sasuke to track and follow Naruto after the blond ran off. He wanted to wait a little to see what the dobe would do, and if Naruto would do anything that would give him away, but the plan was ruined when the worst person possible appeared.

"Oh?" It was Kabuto's turn to sound smug. Oh yes, he had the perfect idea… the perfect way to get Sasuke the numerous times the Uchiha had annoyed him in the past. "It seems like our Naruto-kun is quite afraid of you Sasuke-kun. Orochimaru-sama asked me to check up on Naruto-kun, just in case something happened to him…"

"It was an accident."

"Really? I find that somehow hard to believe, especially coming from someone with perfect control, like yourself," Kabuto grinned at the raven's glare. "Let's go Naruto-kun, I'll get you some food and then we'll find out how you lost all of your memories." Without waiting for the blond to answer, the sound nin put his arm around Naruto's shoulder and guided him away.

The blond boy turned his head to look at the raven as he was being lead away. It happened very fast, but Sasuke did not miss it… the smug little smile that lifted the corner of those oh so kissable lips. For the first time in many years, he felt his control slipping.

AN: I'm sorry that Naruto appears to be OOC in this chapter, his weird behavior will be explained in time, and there is also a reason why he's not freaking out about his amnesia. Please read and review, I love reading everyone's comments, and they bring inspiration for new chapters

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and I'm so sorry that there was such a long wait.

**KYUUBILOVER:** Yes, Jiraiya did have something to do with Naruto's present state :p But that's all I'm going to say for now.

**Chiisai Shiroi Wolf: **I agree that Orochimaru is evil and cruel, but I still like him because he's such a perfect villain XD And thanks for reminding me about the spelling/grammar mistakes, I'll try my best to catch them.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

**AN:** This chapter contains a **minor spoiler** for the Shippuuden season, not much, just introducing one of the new characters. I'm providing a brief explanation of the mythical view on the Kyuubi no Kitsune (taken from Wikipedia), just keep it in mind as you are reading this story please (it will explain a lot of Naruto's weird behaviours) ;p

**Kyuubi no Kitsune: **Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Physically, kitsune are noted for having as many as nine tails. Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful fox. When a kitsune gains its ninth tail, its fur becomes white or gold. These _kyūbi no kitsune_ (_nine-tailed foxes_) gain the abilities to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world. Other tales attribute them infinite wisdom, essentially _omniscience_. Other supernatural abilities commonly attributed to the kitsune include _possession_, mouths or tails that generate fire or lightning, wilful manifestation in the dreams of others, flight, invisibility, and the _creation of illusions_ so elaborate as to be almost indistinguishable from reality. Other kitsune have characteristics reminiscent of vampires _or succubi_ and feed on the life or spirit of human beings, generally through sexual contact.

Chapter 2

It was almost too easy to gain Naruto's trust, the boy had been so grateful to him for saving him from Sasuke. If he played his cards right, then it wouldn't take anything to create a rift between the two. He knew ever since the chuunin exam that Naruto was too innocent and trustful for a shinobi, but this was ridiculous. Kabuto leaned back and watched Naruto inhale the oyakodon in fascination. The boy wolfed down the hot food, barely chewing. Naruto showed no hints of fear or discomfort in the presence of a stranger. Even though Kabuto had no experience with amnesia patients, his instincts told him this was not how a person who just lost all of his memories should act. However, that was not what mesmerized the Sound nin; it was the smooth, tanned cheek that captured all of his attention. Under his watchful gaze, the kunai wound made by Sasuke had quickly healed until not even a faint line was left.

"Naruto-kun, how's your cheek? Is it still hurting?" Maybe underneath the surface, there was still some remaining pain.

The young man stopped shoving food into his mouth for a moment and shook his head with a cheerful grin. He had enough manners to swallow his mouthful before answering. "Nope, nothing. I forgot about it already," he answered with a vulpine grin, rubbing the nonexistent cut. "For some reason, I have the feeling that I've always been a fast healer." He shrugged and went back to eating, not noticing the enraptured look Kabuto gave him.

"Is that so…" The grey haired man poured himself a cup of hot tea and concentrated on the rising steam, forcing himself to look away from Naruto before the Kyuubi container started to suspect something. This boy's healing power exceeded that of the shinobi Sasuke had killed earlier. If he could get just one tissue sample from Naruto, it would be the equivalent of holding the key to…eternal life.

Naruto looked up as the teacup cracked in Kabuto's hand. The hot fluid started to drip down the older man's hand, but Kabuto didn't seem to notice, even as the boiling fluid left a trail of red skin that promised painful blisters later on.

"Kabuto-san!" The younger man rushed forward to take the broken cup from Kabuto's hands and pressed a dry napkin to reddened skin. He ignored the hot liquid that splashed onto his own hand as he slammed the cup down in haste.

"It's okay Naruto-kun," Kabuto took the napkin from the tanned hands and pressed it against his burn. "I was just a little careless, that's all." As he moved his chakra to spread over his own reddened hand to dull the pain and to force his epithelial cells to regenerate to make up the loss of the dead cells, his eyes were drawn to Naruto's hand. A gentle glow of red chakra covered the small red area and soothed over the reddened skin until it turned back to the original golden hue.

So, unlike his own technique, where he had to force his cells to go into mitosis to make up for damaged or lost cells, Kyuubi's chakra inside Naruto could bring the dead cells back to life. It was far superior to his own technique because it did not require cell division. A healthy cell could only divide a limited amount of times before it died too. To force earlier cell division was like shortening his lifespan. Also, the demon's chakra healed Naruto automatically, without any conscious command from the boy.

"I hope that you don't mind me asking, Naruto-san." Kabuto said, changing the subject to draw his mind away from its own designs. "Do you remember where you were before we brought you here?"

The chopsticks froze in midair. Naruto had a hazy image of a dark room filled with the heavy scent of sake and musky perfume, and of warm soft bodies pressed against his arms. "There was a man I think, I remember a man that was sitting across from me… I don't know what he looks like though." He shook his head, trying to clear the fog in his mind that hid the face he was desperately trying to recall. "I think he was old… but he had a powerful built, and lots of white hair." It was a celebration of some sort, a rite of passage, a coming of age.

The Sound Nin hid his surprise well. No doubt Jiraiya was the person Naruto was trying hard to describe. He did not know much of the third member of the Legendary Sannin. The only contact he had with Jiraiya was during the fight between the three old friends when Jiraiya was looking for Tsunade. There was not much he knew, expect from what Orochimaru told him from time to time, and that wasn't much. He knew that the man was a lover of beautiful women and good sake and he was the sensei of the late Yondaime, however due to their previous fight, he did not have much respect for the man who was so easily tricked by beauty.

"And what about before that? Did you live in this village?"

"I don't think so…" blue eyes became glassy with a far away look. "I think we were wandering around, for a long time, before we came to this town…" Try as he could, he ended up with nothing but emptiness. "I can't remember." Unbidden tears flooded his eyes, and the sense of loneliness and loss overcame his senses again. He was in a place he did not know, surrounded by people he did not recognize, but worst of all, he could not even remember who he was himself.

Reaching across the table, Kabuto brushed away a stray tear, using the opportunity to touch the smooth cheek, examining for himself the cut that was no longer there. Naruto took the handkerchief that was offered to him with a quivering smile.

"Don't worry too much about it right now Naruto-kun. It takes time for memories to come back, and they come back very spontaneously, often triggered by familiar objects or people. I'm sure that as the alcohol leaves your system, you'll start to remember faster." He watched as the blond blew his nose loudly and stared into his rice bowl, not hungry anymore. He just had to make sure that he modified those memories a little. If Orochimaru really decided to keep the Kyuubi container, then it would be disastrous if Naruto ever regained his true memories. "If you're done, why don't we go back to my quarters? I know a little about medicine and maybe we can find the reason behind your memory loss?"

"Really?" Naruto instantly perked up before the blue eyes looked down again. "But what about that guy with the freaky red eyes?"

"Don't worry about Sasuke-kun." Kabuto smiled reassuringly at the new object of his interest. "Orochimaru-sama wanted me to examine you anyways, to find if there's you're hurt in other places.

As the door opened, Naruto couldn't stop himself from moving away. Even though the strong chemical smell of formaldehyde masked all other scents in the room, his sensitive nose could pick out the sweet morbid smell of rotting flesh.

"Come in Naruto-kun." Kabuto held the door open for him. With no choice, he slowly made his way in, swallowing nervously in the darkness as the door shut out the faint glow in the hallway. "Just give me a second to light the candle."

The blond did not dare move in the darkness, just in case he touched anything that he was not supposed to. He could see tall tubes that were somewhat luminescent; they were probably filled with some kind of fluid, as he could see gas bubbles rising. Naruto could see a dark shadow floating inside one of the tube, but it was too dark to tell what it was.

He had a faint idea what this room was used for, and he wished that his senses were duller; the smell of dead flesh settled heavily in his stomach, causing spasms in the muscles all over his body. He quickly held a hand over his mouth as he felt his throat jerk in response to his gastric contents moving. He regretted eating so much now.

Finally, the sound of a match, and the room was lit by the soft candlelight. This time he could not stop the scream. Right in front of him, suspended inside the glass, was a naked boy. He looked to be around Naruto's own age, except his skin had the hard, translucent qualities of a water creature, almost like scales. Short white hair floated around a pale face. The boy had a respirator in his mouth for oxygen, and, through the clear plastic tubing, Naruto could see two rows of razor sharp teeth, just like a shark. A wave of sadness passed through him after seeing those teeth; it almost felt as if he knew someone else who had teeth like that…

"Naruto-kun?" Kabuto's voice brought the blond out of his reminiscing. "Did you just remember something else?"

"No, it was nothing," the boy lied quickly and looked around the room to avoid the older man's eyes.

Like he'd suspected, he was inside a medical examination room and laboratory. There was a stainless steel table and sink. Besides the tall glass tubes that contained more breathing (but unconscious) bodies, there was not much else. Machines beeped and flashed with the pulse and blood pressure of the live specimens, and plastic tubing protected the wires that connected the machine to the bodies. Shelves lined the walls, each heavy with scrolls and jars of specimens. Naruto swallowed thickly as an eyeball stared back at him through the murky preservatives it was suspended in. He quickly looked away, but found himself staring at a foetus encased in plastic. His eyes traced the tiny details of the pink specimen in morbid fascination.

"Are you ready to begin?"

He was glad that Kabuto's interruption forced his attention away.

"Yes, let's begin."

He walked to the examination table Kabuto was standing next too. Ignoring the footstool, he hopped onto the high table easily. The sterile stainless steel of the table sucked away all the warmth from where his bare thigh was in contact with the cold metal surface.

"You said that you had a headache when you woke up right?" the Sound nin asked as he started from Naruto's feet, testing each joint, muscle, and bone, testing reflex and strength. "Did you experience any other signs or symptoms?"

"I was a little unsteady when I tried to walk, but nothing else besides that."

"I see." Kabuto picked up a small flashlight from the tool set on the table. "Try not to blink okay?" he asked, but he still used his fingers to hold the fluttering eyelids wide open, exposing the crystal blue orb underneath. As he suspected, the pupils were still uneven under the intense light. He reached around, threading his fingers through the wild golden spikes and felt the back of Naruto's head. Even with Kyuubi's superior healing skills, Kabuto could still feel the bump under the scalp. That meant there was a possibility that there was an internal hematoma too. There might not be any permanent damage to the brain, but it seemed like even Kyuubi's power might not be able to heal psychological damages. He would have to speak to Orochimaru-sama about this.

"I think you might have fallen down and hit your head on something really hard when you were drunk yesterday, Naruto-kun," Kabuto said, and the blond grinned sheepishly. "There is still a little swelling, but I think that will go away by the end of the day with your headache."

"And what about my memories?" the blond boy asked anxiously.

"Just from a physical examination, I can not give a full diagnosis. The fall probably caused a small haemorrhage in the part of your brain that is responsible for memories. Although from the way you are behaving, I can safely say that there are no other physical cranial or neurological problems right now besides your memory loss."

"What do you need to do?" Naruto asked cautiously, he did not want to be cut into pieces and put on display in little jars of formaldehyde.

"There is a reverse hypnotic genjutsu that we can try, just to see if by turning the time backwards in your mind, you will be able to recount what happened to you."

"Well, it doesn't sound painful…" The blond slowly nodded.

That was all the consent Kabuto needed as he preformed the hand seals and channelled the chakra into his fingertips. He touched his index fingers to the smooth skin between the blue eyes, transferring his own chakra into Naruto. Bright blue eyes gradually dulled and the teen slouched on the table as if he had lost all control of his body, not just his mind alone.

"What is your full name?" Kabuto asked quietly but firmly once he was satisfied that the blond had slipped totally into his subconscious.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the full pink lips opened slowly, and the normally energetic voice uttered the name in a sluggish fashion.

"Naruto-kun, what were you doing in this village?"

"We passed by this village and decided to stop because of the hot springs, and to celebrate my birthday too."

"Who else was with you," Kabuto pressed on gently.

"An old man with white hair."

"Do you remember his name?"

Even under hypnosis, the blond frowned. "I don't know."

"Was his name Jiraiya?" Maybe a little prompting would help.

The shrugging motion quickly defeated that idea.

"Do you remember where you came from, Naruto-kun?" Sometimes, long-term memories were harder to forget. Konoha must be more meaningful to Naruto than all the nameless villages he had been travelling through.

"I don't know."

The Sound Nin sighed. It was a good idea to begin with. He had read before in medical books that hypnosis worked with temporary memory loss, but in Naruto's case, there was probably something more than a bump on the head that had caused his amnesia. Orochimaru must have suspected the same thing, or else the Sanin wouldn't have sent Naruto to him.

His curiosity peaked at him, both the medical and the shinobi side of him. He was not a specialist when it came to psychiatric disorders, but he had heard of a ninjutsu used by Kurenai of Konoha, where one's conscious could be transferred into another's. It was a dangerous jutsu, only used by the master genjutsu users, and if not done properly, not only would the user be trapped forever in the recipient, but the patient would also go crazy with the intrusion of another soul inside his mind.

Kabuto could feel his heartbeat speed up at the idea of such a challenge. This was much more risky than a physical battle, but Naruto was already in a trance. There were no other people to stop him…

The sound of a body hitting the floor was heard.

Kabuto slowly got onto his knees after he'd landed heavily on his back, his head had pounded as it smashed against the hard wooden floor. Even though he knew he was not experiencing any physical pain, the human mind was trained to associate pain with impact, and he could not stop his brain from transmitting the false information to his body.

After he got his breath under control, Kabuto picked up the empty frame of his glasses that had shattered when he'd fallen. Without his glasses, his vision blurred in front of his eyes. He had always depended a little too much on his vision, it was one of his shortcomings. Without the benefit of his vision, Kabuto was suddenly hit with a wave of uneasiness.

This was the first time that he had used such a genjutsu. He heard many genjutsu users comparing the mind to a cave. Some caves were large and empty, while others were twisted and convoluted, filled with traps and mazes to ensnare the intruder.

Naruto's mind was a large empty room. The floor was covered in smooth polished wood and the plain white walls were absent of any decorations. The room was covered in total blackness but strangely enough, each individual object, as well as his own body, was illuminated by an unknown source.

"Well, if it isn't Kabuto-san."

The silver haired man spun around towards the deep voice. His eyes widened in surprise as he came face to face with a large golden cage. How could he have missed such a massive structure? The heavy bars stretched from the ceiling to the floor protecting him from the glowing red eyes of the creature inside.

Even without seeing the body, Kabuto had inkling what the creature was. For, on the cage, he could see the piece of rice paper with the word 'seal' written in black ink. Just one paper yellow with age that protected him from the most fearsome creature in the world. His breath caught in his throat as red chakra slowly filled the abyss inside the cage, providing enough light for him to make out the outline of the humongous body and the nine lashing tails, each twitching impatiently.

"Kyuubi no Kitsune." As the words left his mouth, he felt all the air sucked out of his lungs.

"I am honoured that you still remember someone as ancient as me." The deep animalistic voice dripped with sarcasm. The Kyuubi remembered their last encounter all too well. He had never come so close to death before, when Kabuto used his chakra scalpel and shredded Naruto's heart muscles. Not even when the Yondaime sealed him had he experienced the coldness of death. To a being that lived as long as he was, the memory was as fresh as yesterday. "Tell me, what did I do to deserve this visit?"

One of the tails lifted from the floor and uncovered a small figure sleeping beside the Kyuubi.

"Naruto-kun!" Kabuto exclaimed as he recognized the blond hair.

Rough laughter echoed off the wooden walls. In front of his eyes, the chakra engulfed the kitsune and Kabuto watched as the red fur receded and the tails disappeared, leaving behind beautiful golden skin. The body shrunk and elongated into a lean soft body of a human. Long golden hair flowed down to the floor, covering the naked body that was neither male nor female…

Standing up like a human, Kyuubi smirked at Kabuto with his new human face, relishing the look of astonishment and lust that was clearly evident on Kabuto's expression. He took one delicate step after another until he was standing right in front of the metal bars, facing Kabuto on the other side.

Slipping out a naked foot, the being caught Kabuto's eye as he easily manoeuvred his body through the bars, his nude body effortlessly slipping through the bars of the cage, leaving it empty behind him expect for Naruto's sleeping form.

Kabuto was too shocked to do anything as the creature circled him slowly, letting those long fingernails graze the naked skin of his neck intimately, not leaving the faintest cut when they were sharp enough to pierce through. "I have to repay you for last time, Kabuto-san."

"How?" The human forced the question out, and swallowed when the sharp nail came to a rest right above his jugular vein, petting the little pulse gently. Yondaime's seal was still on the cage, so how was it possible for Kyuubi to come out without breaking free?

"That is a secret between Naruto and I," Kyuubi whispered softly in Kabuto's ear, savouring the little bead of sweat it saw and a soft pink tongue slowly picked it up. Taking pity on the man, the kitsune decided to play a little nicer. "The seal is not broken, and I have no desire to break it, so don't worry, Kabuto-san. However, I know what you want to learn and I know what you want from me, Kabuto-san."

"You…you do?" He couldn't stop the shiver of fear and pleasure at the feel of the slightly rough muscle on his cold skin.

"I will make a deal with you, Kabuto." The fox pressed his body closely to the human's, shifting a little to glide up against the other's body. He tucked his soft blond head right beneath Kabuto's chin, blowing gently on the human's pulse. "I hold the key to Naruto's memories right now. As long as he has no memory, it is easier for me to take control from time to time."

The missing piece of the puzzle was finally solved.

"If you can keep this fact a secret from Orochimaru," sharp teeth nipped at Kabuto's neck playfully, "then I will let you experiment as much as you want with Naruto's body."

TBC

AN: I believe that Kyuubi has no sex, but to make it easier to write, I'm just going to make Kyuubi a male. Hope no one is offended. As usual, reviews are craved


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Sorry for the long wait everyone. This chapter would've been posted earlier, but I was sick from food poisoning a couple of days ago, so didn't get to complete the chapter on time. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter!

**Kyuubi no Kitsune: **Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Physically, kitsune are noted for having as many as nine tails. Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful fox. When a kitsune gains its ninth tail, its fur becomes white or gold. These _kyūbi no kitsune_ (_nine-tailed foxes_) gain the abilities to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world. Other tales attribute them infinite wisdom, essentially omniscience. Other supernatural abilities commonly attributed to the kitsune include possession, mouths or tails that generate fire or lightning, wilful manifestation in the dreams of others, flight, invisibility, and the creation of illusions so elaborate as to be almost indistinguishable from reality. Other kitsune have characteristics reminiscent of vampires or succubi and feed on the life or spirit of human beings, generally through sexual contact.

Chapter 3

The body on the floor jerked back to life suddenly. Kabuto groaned as the delayed sensation of pain attacked his entire body as his mental and physical body became one again. He slowly got on his knees, not trusting his own balance at that moment. The images in front of him were blurry, no doubt, because his glasses had smashed when he had lost control of his body during the transfer.

He sat back on his legs and thought back of the conversation with Kyuubi. It was a hard decision to make, one that put his loyalty to Orochimaru-sama to the test. However, if he kept Kyuubi a secret for now and managed to find an answer to immortality through Naruto's body…would it not be more beneficial to Orochimaru than constant body transfers?

Using the corner of the desk as support, the Sound Nin pulled himself unsteady to his feet and looked at the mindless blond boy who was still under hypnosis. He was so tempted. This was a perfect opportunity to test out his previous theory. Right now, with no control over his own body or will, Kabuto could test to see if Kyuubi really could heal all damages on the body. Just something small, something that would heal fast… The Sound Nin picked up a sharp scalpel in one hand and a tanned hand in another.

He was about to make a cut when he frowned. Just in case his theory failed and Kyuubi could not heal without Naruto's command, it would be much better if he tested on an area that would not draw attention. Orochimaru's eyes never missed anything, and even Kabuto admitted that Naruto had grown up into a beautiful piece of art.

His left hand roughly grabbed a fist full of blond hair as the hand with the scalpel hovered right above Naruto's face. He silently willed his hand to stop shaking. When the body and mind were forcibly separated, it was difficult and time consuming to achieve the same level of compatibility as before.

But there was no more time to waste. If Orochimaru or Sasuke decided to come and check up on Naruto… Kabuto quickly made a decision. He rested his right wrist against Naruto's forehead, and carefully with his thumb and index finger, he pushed the razor sharp edge of the blade against Naruto's hairline, and traced down his temple. Even if the wound could not heal completely, Naruto's bangs and hair would be more than enough to cover the thin but deep cut. There were numerous tiny veins and arteries hidden right below the skin that were severed by the blade. The medic nin smiled as blood began to pulse out of the long wound while Naruto just stared ahead with the same blank expression.

So if Kyuubi was keeping his word, this first experiment would seal the contract. As if the mystical beast could read his mind, the cut he had made seconds ago sizzled with strong pulses of chakra. Kabuto traced a finger against the wound, feeling it as the cut quickly healed itself until nothing was left except for the blood that was still warm and dripping.

Temporarily satisfied, Kabuto wet a small face cloth and gently wiped the blood from the tanned face. When Naruto's face was clean, he made sure that all the red was rinsed away under the warm water before he finally turned back to Naruto.

All it took was a simple snap of his fingers to bring Naruto back. Blue eyes blinked several times against the dryness caused from staring into space for such a long time.

"How do you feel Naruto-san?" Kabuto smiled down gently at the blond as Naruto rubbed his hands against his face, trying to chase away the sudden fatigue he felt from being out of control of his own body for such a long time.

"Tired, I guess." A slender finger carefully traced his temple where a new, sharp pain was overriding his other senses.

"But what about your memories? Do you remember anything?"

Blue eyes stared up at the grey haired man. It was the strangest thing, but while he was under the hypnosis, Naruto could have sworn that he had seen Kabuto-san and another talking together in a dark ill-lit room. It was something important, something he should have remembered, but for the life of him, he could not recall a single word of the conversation except the feeling of uneasiness. "No, nothing at all."

"Well, it's not something that can be forced." A solid hand patted boy's shoulder reassuringly. "But don't worry Naruto-san, I promise you that I will find a way to get your memories back."

Naruto smiled weakly and slowly took the hand that was offered to him.

"Now come, I'm sure Orochimaru-sama will become impatient if we don't find him soon."

"Now, now Sasuke-kun." Thin lips smiled mockingly at the younger man who looked back at him blankly. "I thought you would be happy to see Naruto-kun again after all these years." Yellow eyes gleamed under the weak light dangerously, not missing a single detail as they observed the Uchiha.

"You know as well as I do, Orochimaru, the reason why Naruto is here," Sasuke said slowly, carefully, each word weighing heavily in the space between the two of them. "You have no use for him. Just kill him and be done with it."

"He has no use to me as a ninja, that's true." Deep chuckles echoed off the stonewalls. "But he has no memories of Konoha or his past either. I thought I made myself clear as to why I wanted Naruto-kun for, did I not Sasuke-kun?" Cold hand wrapped around the younger man's pale neck, and Sasuke suppressed a shiver of disgust as long sharp nails brushed teasingly against his hair.

"He did not lose his memories," Sasuke murmured through clenched teeth; the smug smile on Naruto's face from earlier taunted him. "He knows everything, and if you keep him here, he'll end up destroying all of our plans."

"We will see what Kabuto thinks; I've asked him to perform a medical check up on Naruto-kun. I think that we both respect Kabuto's medical skills enough to accept his diagnosis." The sly eyes narrowed slightly, at the challenge to his authority. It was true that Sasuke was getting stronger and stronger day by day. But it would do the boy good to remember that ultimately he would be nothing but a body at the end. "As for the Kyuubi container, even if it is a plot to sneak in, I doubt someone with Naruto-kun's skills will be able to fool us. The boy has no talent."

Black eyes squeezed shut in frustration. No one knew better than him that the worst mistake one could make was to underestimate someone like Naruto. The blond always exceeded everyone's expectations in the most astonishing ways. Never in a million years did he expect Naruto would surpass him three years ago and yet he did.

"Do what you will." When they opened, it was the red Sharingan that looked back. There was no point in arguing further. If Orochimaru was determined to seal his own fate, then it was useless for him to go down with the Sannin, there was nothing more to learn and nothing to gain anymore.

A polite knock interrupted the conversation before it could carry on.

"Come in, Kabuto."

The door opened quietly, and the grey haired man bowed in respect towards his master as he approached. A hesitant Naruto followed a couple of steps behind, looking around the dark bare room with nervous eyes. As the two passed the silent Sasuke, the blond shrunk back from the searing red glare that followed his every move. All of his previous fear of the dark haired boy crashed against his senses, choking the very air out of his lungs.

"Orochimaru-sama, I have just completed a medical examination on Naruto-kun as you have requested," Kabuto handed a clipboard to the waiting hand. "Besides the obvious hematoma that was caused by the fall when Naruto-kun was drunk, there are no other visible damages."

"And what about his memories, has he remembered anything?" A quick glance at the report showed nothing out of the ordinary, but… yellow eyes narrowed in suspicion as he caught the drop of sweat that was slowly running down Kabuto's forehead.

"Nothing, he seems to be suffering from an internal haemorrhage as well, which is the cause of his current amnesia," here the grey haired man paused, his nails bit into the flesh of his palms as he forced himself to come to a decision. "O… Orochimaru-sama… there is a matter that I would like to speak to you about, in private please," he added quickly, giving the Sannin a significant look.

Orochimaru nodded. "Sasuke-kun, take Naruto-kun outside please. Don't go far; I would like to speak to Naruto-kun after this."

A look of panic appeared in Naruto's eyes as he heard he was to be alone again with Sasuke. He almost opened his mouth to beg Orochimaru to let him stay, but one look from the red swirling eyes made him swallow the protest. Sasuke waited patiently as Naruto reluctantly followed him outside, closing the door behind him with a bang.

Both older shinobi waited a couple of seconds, letting the silence settle around them like a shield, before Kabuto quietly explained. "Orochimaru-sama. While I was examining Uzumaki Naruto, I noticed that the boy has unnatural healing abilities."

"That is to be expected, due to his connections with the Kyuubi."

"Yes, that is true. I have seen the wound Sasuke made on Naruto-kun heal under my very eyes, and, although it pains me to admit it, I believe his healing powers are far superior to my own." He paused and dared a look at Orochimaru; the Sannin seem to be considering his words seriously. "Instead of using the chakra to force the cells to divide, and ultimately shorten the lifespan of the cells, I think that Naruto-kun's chakra heals damaged cells without cell division and is even capable of bring dead cells back to life."

He finally caught Orochimaru's attention with the last sentence. Kabuto tried to wipe his sweaty palms inconspicuously against his pants. "With your permission, I would like to investigate the source and mechanism of this healing process and find out whether this technique can be used with normal human chakra as opposed to Kyuubi's chakra. If we can learn this technique, then it will be very helpful in battle, our casualties will greatly decrease, and we will also be one step closer to obtaining immortality."

"That is a very interesting proposal, Kabuto," the Sannin said, at last carefully watching his subordinate through the gleaming yellow eyes; it was not difficult to see that Kabuto was shaking with excitement from the prospect of his newest discoveries. "How do you intend to find out if your theories are true?"

"I was planning to ask Naruto-kun to help me in my experiments, with your approval of course, Orochimaru-sama."

"I see." The older man got up. "You know the reason why I'm keeping Naruto-kun here with us. As long as you can return him to me in his original condition after every experiment, I will allow you to continue. I don't care what you do to him as long as it stays in the lab. If your methods interfere with my plans with him…"

"Yes, of course, I understand Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed deeply, both to show his respect, but also to hide the victorious smile on his face.

The sound of the door closing behind him was like a shock through this system and Naruto suddenly found himself alone with Sasuke again. His cheek started to throb again with the memory of the previous pain. He stole a quick look at the other boy from under his lashes.

"How's your cheek?"

The blond nearly jumped out of his skin at the nonchalant question. "What?"

"Your cheek, has it healed yet?" Sasuke repeated the question in annoyance. There was no doubt that it was healed, he knew that Naruto had always been a fast healer, but to calm the nagging guilt that had been eating away at him since the blond ran away, he felt like he was obligated to ask.

"Oh yeah." An embarrassed blush graced the whiskered cheeks. "It's okay I guess." he added awkwardly. Although he was still a little scared around the other boy, the fact that Sasuke asked him about it cooled the throbbing pain of his cheek like a balm. Something told him that it was the dark haired boy's indirect way of apologizing.

The silence settled around them again, like an uncomfortable stifling blanket. Blue eyes looked around the empty hallway, trying to keep his eyes and thoughts anywhere except on Sasuke, all the while aware of the intense black eyes catching his every movement.

"Naruto."

The blond boy looked up, but it was already too late. The air was knocked out of his lungs as Sasuke pushed him against the wall, pinning his body sensually with his own. A calloused hand brushed his cheek, tenderly even, as black eyes stared down at him accusingly.

"Sa…Sasuke." The name came out of Naruto's lips in a breathless murmur. The intense look made his body shiver in the delicious combination of cold fear and hot desire, and he licked his lips unknowing of what he wanted from the other boy, and from himself.

Sasuke blinked in surprise at the sound of his name uttered in suppressed passion. The soft pink tongue had left a shining layer of wetness against Naruto's lips. Unconsciously, the dark head lowered, inch by inch, until they were sharing the same breath. Naruto's own breathing sped up slowly, with every intake of air his lips brushed against Sasuke's own in a chaste kiss. Two pairs of eyes widened in surprise, but neither boy moved away from the contact.

"Naruto," Sasuke said again, this time turning his head slightly so that the tip of his tongue caressed the corner of Naruto's mouth as he spoke. "Tell me why you are here. I know you recognize me." Without warning, the gentle hand that was stroking the tanned cheek suddenly moved down, until it wrapped around the slender neck, tightening just enough to make Naruto gasp at the sudden lack of air. Even though his hand was squeezing harder and harder, his voice wrapped around Naruto like the warmest velvet. "Tell me, and I'll let you go." The hard black eyes stared coldly into the blue ones, not wavering even as the healthy bronzed skin paled with lack of air.

Small hands clawed at Sasuke's larger one as Naruto tried to force away the hand. His body trashed against the strong form that still had him pinned intimately, chest against chest, legs tangled together in a lover's lock. Blue eyes blinked, as finally he could no longer see the face clearly in front of him. His vision was blurring through the teary film, until at last blue eyes closed in submission.

"Naruto?" A small hint of alarm leaked into his otherwise cold voice. Just like early in the morning, he had only meant to scare the dobe into the truth. The old Naruto would never have submitted this easily, and after the smirk he saw on the blond's face that was so strange on the naïve and open face, he knew that there was a reason to this strange behaviour. His hand quickly released the boy, arms lifting to catch the falling body.

Despite the compact size of Naruto's body, the lean muscles added weight to the blond's form. Sasuke lowered to the ground slowly with the added weight of Naruto's body. He sat down and cradled his precious burden in his arms, taking the opportunity to study the peaceful face. A small dark speck caught his attention. Just against his hairline, almost hidden behind Naruto's ear, a dried brown crust. The smell was familiar to him; it was the metallic tang of blood. There was no way that blood from the cut he made on Naruto's cheek could have flown to the area behind the opposite ear. Between the times of his last encounter with Naruto to now, only Kabuto… realization hit him.

From inside of his gi, Sasuke took out a small vial, and poured a few drops of a sweet smelling lotion onto his finger and he tenderly rubbed into the small cut that had yet to heal. Just as he had finished putting the vial back in its original place, the same smug smile he had seen just a couple of hours before pulled the pink plump lips into another sly expression. Before he knew it, Naruto's eyes opened, however it was not the same sky blue eyes he was familiar with, instead eyes as red as his Sharingan stared back at him with narrow animalistic pupils. This new Naruto purred in comfort before stretching out his body in a lazy yawn, rubbing his face into Sasuke's muscled thigh. Too surprised, the dark haired boy did not have time to feel anything besides a spike of pleasure running up his spine, before…

A shrill cry full of fear and pain stopped Orochimaru in mid-phrase; it was unmistakeably Naruto's voice. Sharing a look with Kabuto, the two men quickly made their way out to the hall, where Sasuke was alone with Naruto. The Sannin briefly wondered about the look of dread that crossed Kabuto's face before it disappeared again.

Orochimaru slammed the door open in a manner very uncharacteristic of his usual calm. Sasuke was backed against the wall, unharmed but with a look of guarded caution as he looked down at the fallen boy curled up into a ball at his feet. All three Sound Nin could hear soft sniffing sound as Naruto's body shook with sobs.

"Naruto-kun?" In an unexpected gentle gesture, Orochimaru kneeled down and placed a hand against Naruto's shoulder. No one expected the blond to launch his body suddenly against the older man, arms wrapped around the larger body, tucking his head comfortably under Orochimaru's chin. Yellow eyes looked up amusingly at Sasuke, he almost laughed as he saw the raw hatred that was directed at him this time.

"What did you do to him Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto's angry voice cut through the scene, hiding his glee as the Uchiha's relationship with Naruto deteriorated even further due to the boy's own stupidity.

"Nothing." In a blink of an eye, the cold hatred disappeared and the Sasuke in front of them turned cold and uncaring again.

"Nothing? When both Orochimaru-sama and myself…"

"Kabuto, that's enough," the Sannin cut off Kabuto with a sharp order. "I'm sure Sasuke-kun did not mean any of this to happen, right?" Under the cunning yellow eyes, the Uchiha nodded after a long pause. The time was still not right for him to break free from the two, and now that they had Naruto, there was nothing he could do. Unknowingly, despite the anger and distrust he felt towards this new Naruto, he could not help but feel responsible for the blond's wellbeing in this place.

"It's late now, and we have all had a long day," the Sannin got up and picked up Naruto in his arms. Red eyes peered back at Sasuke with a hidden mirth as he was carried back by Orochimaru.

TBC


End file.
